The Spotted Devil

Yes, I do the same Tassie!!!

Amazing aren't they. I had Em at my vet for hip/elbow scoring a few months back and asked them to have a look in her ear as it just "didn't smell quite right." Turns out there was a HUGE grass seed and infection and her ear drum was close to perforating! No unusual scratching or head shaking.

Wow! A year later!!!! Wow! So glad he is on the mend

Jess - I understand your plight! It happens to me in regular classes for the general public. For the Puppy Games class I run I email class notes. But I always have a plan to review the exercise the following week - it is always worthwhile tightening up timing etc for everyone. Then I advance those who have mastered that and leave others at the appropriate level. It's a tough juggle but I'm starting to think that just very basic exercises are easier to advance incrementally if that makes sense.

Ha! You need an Em puppy :laugh: My very own land shark might be having her own baby land sharks soon...just waiting for confirmation. If you are set on a Pointer I know an excellent breeder of English working lines. Gorgeous dogs, sweet and soft.

I'd like to see photos of where the dogs broke through their pen...

Different lines mean a lot too - I know very, very active and, in comparison, very calm Spaniels, Border Collies, Tollers and Aussies. Labs and Goldens too. However all those breeds have different "quirks" - you have to be happy living with their quirks, then find a good breeder who has dogs of the temperament you prefer. My field bred Springer is much more interested in playing with me than other dogs but she has learnt to play awesome bitey face with my Dalmatian. I know you want the dogs to play but provided their temperaments complement each other they will work it out. This is my reserved Springer...

Definitely. Hopefully I will be blessed with some working ESS pups soon and I really, really would love to hear how they are going - whether they be pet, performance or working dogs.

I feed my dogs from Kong Wobblers unless we're camping. It really slows them down. Otherwise you could also scatter the meal on the grass if he likes to forage.

I love the oldies too but I do get concerned about the dogs I see that are struggling to walk and clearly in pain. DOLers tend to be well educated in general but much of the dog owning public have little idea that their dog is suffering and that pain killers etc wouldn't go astray. I started a conversation with a guy a few days ago - lovely old Boxer clearly enjoying a sniff at the oval but in a lot of pain - arthritis, hips. I'm pretty good at gently guiding a chat without judgement and the owner told me the dog was not on any pain relief. I just remarked how stoic dogs were in general and how veterinary science has come so far blah blah and by the end he said he was going to take the old dog to the vet for a check up :)

Ha ha! Adorable Huski!!!

In Vic we do have height placings for championship points but ribbons etc are all overall placings - makes a placing all the more sweeter up against 60 + dogs! If anything it's easier on your dog if he falls just into 500 rather than just into 600. Zig is well and truly 600 but I will sometimes train on 500 and he really adds speed. Have fun! Where are you Cat?

Yes me too Kavik - call dog out of tunnel on left, Na Na Na for back of jump tight turn around upright closest to tunnel, dog is now on right, send to tunnel. Puts me in a good position as dog will fly through that tunnel. Loving these Sheena!

And you have to know your dog too - some dogs will continue to fly around a course regardless of whether they are fit enough to do so. A big indicator for Zig in my mind would be if he started knocking bars regularly as it is such a rarity for him. At training we thought he was knocking bars but it turns out he was wrapping the upright so tightly he was knocking it over.

On the lower end - flat work, rear end awareness and strengthening exercise only until growth plates are closed. On the higher end - definitely an individual thing. Zig is 8 and is in the best form of his life. However - he gets a heck of a lot more free running, swimming, flat work, strengthening, rear end awareness, joint supplements and massage than he does agility. We train most days for 5-10 minutes. I have always trialled him fairly sparingly and 4 runs per day with limited double weekends is my preference. Plus he gets multiple weeks off per year.

Beautiful DD! So glad Elsie is being a good big sis!

I'm not sure I understand the issue completely rubyroo but here it's not uncommon when things are quiet (field trials, duck season) and we either alternate runs or maybe run 2 Novice back to back then the same with Restricted and then have the final run.

Yay! Tassie you must post some videos - I would love to see your progress!

JRG you can't possibly be old enough to say that :D

That is how i would have approached it also. Me too, except I'd probably lalala blind at 6 rather than front. :) Yep. Like that option too. You could really send and leave with that. kelpiechick - think you are speaking the same language :D

Too funny!

No you don't have to out run them...by the time the dog is performing the jump, you are already heading towards 7 by the time he lands. It's more hand & eye cue than verbal. Some people put a verbal on it, but by the time you say it the dog is already performing the obstacle because of your strong hand & eye cue. Yep makes sense. My system relies heavily on independent verbal cues so it becomes critical. But that's what's great about agility - soooo many ways to run a course!!!

So if I'm at 7 with the dog on the right I'd just front cross and give the sprinkler turn verbal cue. If the dog is on the left I'm just supporting with my left arm and giving the sprinkler turn verbal cue into the weaves.

I've done a PDF File up on how to train the Lap Turn but you would need to PM me your email address, so I could send it to you. But basically, as the dog is coming out of the tunnel, you are behind the jump & left of the wing closest to the tunnel facing your dog. You cue him to come to your right hand as if holding a treat bringing him around the wing, then you flip your hand over & that puts him over the jump. All the time you are facing forward ready to race to the next jump. It does require a bit of training, but if you can do Lap Turns, then you don't have to run so far :laugh: Ah thanks - that's similar to H360 Threadle - but it would put me behind unnecessarily I think which isn't ideal for this system.

Yes I think it depends whether you have a really independent verbal AND whether you can out run them.